The Coatham Hotel

 1905

This lovely picture postcard dated 1905 is Courtesy of Ian Hall

Recollections of the Coatham Hotel

"How well I remember the Coatham Hotel, it is and was Coatham's finest building with its wonderful majestic shape, nestled between Henry and Turner Streets, commanding boundless views of the North Sea. In its heyday years ago it sported impressive entrance steps, gleaming brass rails, plush carpets, wonderful floral displays in the hall ways, high ornate ceilings and wide corridors, it had a magic all of its own. Owned then by my best friend, June Morton's Uncle, Charles Amour, it seemed like a palace out of dreams to us small girls. In the 1950's we both lived in Arthur Street, a stones throw away from the Hotel. As we grew older our school {White House} held their annual Christmas parties in the ballrooms. Old time dancing and jazz festivals where also held in the ballrooms. Then came the Grotto and the Oasis Coffee Bar with its wonderful Juke Box and as we grew to teenagers the weekly Rock and Roll grind in the packed Windsor Ballroom. We queued for ages to be sure of our place on Saturday nights in that crushed, smoke filled atmosphere while the band strutted their deafening stuff, oh how we loved it. Oh yes! growing up in the 50's and 60's would have been very dull without the Coatham Hotel." Wonderful memories, Cheers - Wendy & Vic Hall

The Windsor Ballroom

Harry & Evelyn Walker (nee Fox) front right at a funtion in the Windsor Ballroom

1940s

post war years at the Coatham courtesy of Jane Meadows who's great aunt is included in the photo.

1958

A lovely wedding reception at the Coatham Hotel

Circa 1924

Doris Bell aged 15 years pictured on the extreme right of this charming picture is Accompanied by her work colleagues, the girls were resident waitresses at The Coatham Hotel. The Bell family home at that time was in Middlesbrough and Doris often admitted that it broke her heart having to leave home at 14, but being the eldest of the children, in those hard times there wasn't much choice. And later she went on to work in domestic service in Ilkley, until her marriage to Thomas William Henderson in 1933.